Annotations for Speaker: Interviewer

This is [INTERVIEWER NAME]. Today is June 25 2024. I am here in [COMMUNITY NAME], Texas for an interview with one of our community members. Before we begin, I'd like to get verbal consent for the form we went over, could you please say I consent to being interviewed and audio recorded for the study?

All right, thank you. So to get started, could you tell me how you came to live in [COMMUNITY NAME]?

When I was nine months old, my parents moved here from Oklahoma. So I've lived here ever since except for when I was in the military.

Awesome. So could you tell me a bit more about [COMMUNITY NAME]? Like, how would you describe it to a stranger?

So how do you think [COMMUNITY NAME] has changed throughout your time living here?

So what are, what are some of the strengths of [COMMUNITY NAME]?

Are there any weaknesses, would you say?

But overall, would you say this is a good community to live in?

So what was or is the best part about being a kid or young person in [COMMUNITY NAME]?

You can answer whichever you feel comfortable.

That's pretty cool. Do you feel the traditional way of life in [COMMUNITY NAME] is going away?

Yeah, even with our neighbors, I think we only see them like once a year maybe go give them a little... we gotta pause real quick... [PAUSES RECORDING] Alrighty, so we had to take a little break there. But we're back now. So what do you do for work nowadays?

Did you have any jobs before that?

Do you make any did being a mailman help you connect a bunch with the people around [COMMUNITY NAME]? Or is it mostly?

Oh, Okay.

Do you feel like you've become like a more intimate member of the community now that you're working for [LOCAL CHARITY]?

So when did you first start working here?

So how did you first find out about it?

So how would you describe a typical workday here at the warehouse?

What do you think is the most satisfying part of this job that brings you the most joy?

What are some of the biggest challenges that you face day to day?

Looks like we got someone...

Hello There. [RECORDING BREAK] All right, had to take another break there... gentleman came in. So this is a different section. We're about to get into some more about like, American identity and whatnot. So I'm gonna read you a couple statements. And you're gonna like rate them on a scale of one to four, how much you agree with them. So...

Yeah, four is like, absolutely agree.

One is like-

Yeah, absolutely disagree. Okay, so, first phrase is, I consider myself To be an American.

Yeah, absolutely agree. So, using the same scale, I consider myself to be a Texan.

All right. [LAUGHS] So which of the three statements do you agree most strongly with? So we got number one here. I'm an American first and a Texan a second. I'm a Texan first and American second, or being Texan and American are equally important.

So rate this one again, to be a true Texan, you must know how to speak English.

Like somewhat, or Absolutely?

Yeah.

So next one here: to be a true Texan, you must know how to speak Spanish

Ok Let's try, try this other one. In my community, you can do everything you want, and get everything you need, even when you don't speak English

Get around just knowing Spanish... so let's see here. In my community life is pretty has been pretty stable over the past 40 years

Say absolutely agree with that one. Well, thank you for that. We're done with the ranking section. We're just gonna go into some more random questions, just... do you have a you have a favorite sports team?

Cowboys... Have they been around since... I don't know...

I'm not really into football, have they been, have they been doing good lately?

Oh man. All right. Did you have any chores when you're younger?

Would you say that's the worst one?

Were there any chores you didn't mind so much?

[LAUGHS]

Yeah Lets see... Did you ever get caught pretending to do a chore but you really weren't?

This one, this one's kind of weird. Let's see, some people think that it's hard for boys and girls to just be friends. What do you think?

Did you ever tell a story about another person thinking that they weren't there? But then you turned around and saw they were right next to you?

Is there any specific situation that comes to mind?

Ok Here's a fun one. A lot of people think the 1980s is the golden decade of pop music. What do you think?

Ok.

Why is that?

Awesome. That's pretty much all the questions I had for you here.

Well, there's more than one section.

There's a standardized reading package that I'm going to have you read here. It's just a story about growing up in Texas

Yeah, you can just read it out loud for us.

Thank you. We've been having people read this passage since the 1980s Your voice is now a part of the collection. I'm gonna go ahead and stop the recording.

This is [INTERVIEWER]. Today is June 25, and I'm here in Beaumont, Texas for an interview with one of our community members. Before we begin, I'd like to get verbal consent for the form that we went over. Can you please say I consent to being interviewed and audio recorded for this study?

To get started, can you tell me about how you came to live in this community?

Can you tell me a bit more about this community? How would you describe it to someone who doesn't live here?

How do you think this community has changed throughout your time living here?

What would you say are the strengths of this community?

What would you say are some of the weaknesses of this community?

Can you tell me about the roles and relationships you have in this community?

What do you do for work?

How do you think your connections in this community influence your work as a therapist technician?

Now, I'd like to talk more about your work. Could you tell me about how you got into this role?

How long have you been working here?

What does a typical workday look like for you?

What does it mean to be a therapist technician in this community?

What aspects of your job bring you the most joy or satisfication?

What are the biggest challenges you face in your work?

Now let's talk more about your experiences as a resident of this community. For the first set of questions, I'll read a statement to you. And I'd like you to indicate the extent of your agreement with each one. I'll have you give your answer on a scale to one to four. One is completely disagree. Two is somewhat disagree. Three is somewhat agree, and four is completely agree. If you'd like to comment on any of these statements, please feel free to. The first phrase is "I consider myself to be an American." Would you say that you: one- completely disagree, two- somewhat disagree, three- somewhat agree, or four- completely agree?

Using the same scale, how would you rate the following statement? "I consider myself to be a Texan."

Which of the following three statements do you agree with most strongly? I am American first and Texan second. I am a Texan first and American second. Or being Texan and American are equally important to me.

Yes. The next phase is, "To be a true Texan, you must know how to speak English." What would you rate this one using the same scale we started with?

How about, "To be a true Texan, you must know how to speak Spanish."

The next phrase is, "In my community, you can do everything you want and get everything you need, even when you don't speak English."

Um, completely agree or somewhat agree?

Finally, "In my community life has been pretty stable over the last 40 years. Things haven't changed much." Completely disagree, somewhat disagree, somewhat agree or completely agree?

Okay.

Now I'd like to hear from you about the community itself. What are some of the things that have changed in this community during the last few decades?

Overall, is this a good community to live in?

What was or is the best part about being a kid or young person in this community?

Do you feel that the traditional way of life in this community is going on- going away? And if not, if your answer is yes, why do you think that's the case? And if no, what do you think keeps things the same?

Oh, yea.

What is your favorite sports team?

Oh yeah? So how have the Dallas Cowboys been doing lately?

Oh really? Did you have to do chores when you were younger? Or now?

What was the worst chore?

What was the chore you didn't mind so much?

Oh [LAUGHTER]

Did you ever get caught pretending to do a chore but not really doing it?

Some people think that it's hard for boys and girls to be friends, what do you think?

Did you ever tell a story about another person thinking the other person was not near you, but then turned around and saw that person was standing right next to you? Could you tell me about this? What happened?

A lot of people think of the 1990s as the golden decade of pop music. Do you agree?

Oh.

Yeah. Yeah.

Thank you so much for your answers. I really appreciate you taking the time to talk with me. If you have the time I have, just have one last request for you before we conclude our interview. One of the overarching research questions through the Home to Texas program is about linguistic changes in Texas. As part of this project, a linguistic researcher is asking that interview participants read a brief passage, which would only take a couple of minutes. It's a short made up story about life in Texas that was created in the 1980s. And since then, linguistic researchers have recorded a few 100 Texans reading it. They use these recordings as samples of people's standard way of speaking as they try to track how speech in Texas varies and changes over time. Would you be willing to read a brief passage out loud?

It's okay [LAUGHTER].

It's okay, you don't have to read it.

Thank you.

Thank you for contributing your voice to the collection. And thank you so much for taking the time to share your experiences with me. I really appreciate your time and your generosity.

If you don't have any other questions or comments, I'll go ahead and stop the recording now. Okay. {LAUGHTER]

This is Carolina. Today is June 26th and I'm here in [COMMUNITY NAME] City Hall for an interview with one of our community members. Before we begin, I'd like to get verbal consent for the form that we just went over. Could you say "I consent to being interviewed and audio recorded for this study?"  

Okay. Awesome. To get started, can you tell me about how you came to live in this community, please?

Wow. You are actually the first person I've met that has said that, 

Yes, everyone I've talked to is like, "Oh, I've lived here since 2010."  

Really? 

Yeah. Can you tell me a little bit more about the community? How would you describe it to someone who doesn't live here?  

Mm-hmm 

Okay, awesome.  

Thank you. And can you think of any major ways that has changed like when you were younger? Um do you remember it being a certain way and then now it's like a completely different.  

Mm-hmm, mm-hmm.

Yeah, mm-hmm.

Yeah. 

Wow.

That's awesome. Was it like, go play outside and be back home by dinner? 

Wow.

Mm-hmm.

That must have been so fun. Such a good childhood 

Oh! [LAUGHS]

Mm-hmm.

Yeah.

You call it supper? 

What's the difference?

Just different

I have heard some things that like, it depends on the time of day, really?

But I don't know if it's really, 

[LAUGHS] Mm-hmm.

Really? 

Wow.

Yeah. 

Those are great memories. [LAUGHS]

Yeah, it's the same for me. I like, now that I like live in Austin. For most of the year. I'm like, I don't I want to go back, you know?  

But,

Mhm. All right, what would you say are some weaknesses in the community and some strengths?

Right. 

Yeah, [NAME]'s great to have he's like, right next my little cubicle. 

Yeah.

That's interesting. 

Yeah. 

It must be very, like, do you ever experience like culture shock, like, once you step somewhere, step in somewhere else, it's like, wow, this is all different or do you? 

Right. 

Yeah. 

Where did this come from?  

All right. Can you tell me about the roles and relationships you have in this community? 

Hurt you. 

Mm-hmm, gossip.

Mhm.

Gosh.

Really? 

All right. Did you always know that you wanted to be a mayor like following your father's footsteps or,

Mm-hmm 

Okay. 

Okay. And you mentioned currently that you own a business, can you tell me a little bit more about your job and what you do now? 

Wow. So after you um left politics, you started working there full time?

Okay, okay. 

All right. What aspects of your job bring you the most joy or satisfaction? 

Mm-hmm, or your past job. 

Okay, and what are the biggest challenges you face in your work?

All right. Okay. Let's talk a little bit more about your experiences as a resident of the community. Uh for this first set of questions. I'll just read a statement to you and then I'd like you to indicate the extent to which you agree with it on a scale of one to four.

Four being you totally disagree, you totally agree and then one being you totally disagree. Uh also, feel free to say any comments in between. So number one, the first phrase, I consider myself to be an American. That's it. 1 to 4 Yes.

All right, that's the next one. So do you consider yourself a Texan or do you consider yourself Texan first or American second or all kind of together? I guess.

It's a pretty neat shape. All the other states have like little blocks. [LAUGHS] 

Oh yeah, 

Yeah.

Mm-hmm. Yeah. 

Yeah. 

Texas pride is definitely huge. Yeah. That's awesome. All right, the next phrase using the same scale, the one to four is to be a true Texan, you must know how to speak English.

Mm-hmm 

Okay.  

Right. 

I know. 

Yeah. 

Yeah, interesting. All right. So the next phrase is, we kind of already touched on this, to be a true Texan, you must know how to speak Spanish. 

Right. 

Okay. 

Mm-hmm. All right, the next phrase in my community, you can do everything you want, and everything you need, even when you don't speak English. On a scale of one to four. 

Okay. Finally, in my community life has been pretty stable over the last 40 years, things haven't changed much. 

Right. Okay. A little bit more about the community itself. Is this a good community to live in overall, would you?

You said you lived in 

Yes, how was that? 

Yeah, I was surprised to see the the median income and the median. The median income for a house for a house in [COMMUNITY NAME] was around $125,000 like income of people? And that's  

Way above the national average.

Right?  

Yeah. 

Mm-hmm. Yeah. Wow. My high school graduation class wasn't even that big.  

That's interesting. 

Mm-hmm.

Right.

Mm-hmm.

Mm-hmm.

Alright. Okay, I have one more question, where did it go? Oh, okay. Do you feel that the traditional way of life in this community is going away? 

Um whatever you think of when you think traditional, like your stereotypical, traditional way of life

Mm-hmm 

Right. Okay. 

Yeah. Okay. Thank you so much for your answers. I do have just one last request. So the home to Texas program. research primarily focuses on linguistic changes around Texas. And um this next passage is just a brief reading passage about life in Texas during the 80s and it's been studied to track how Texans are reading it. Do you mind reading it out loud for me, please? 

[LAUGHS] That's alright. 

Alright. Thank you so much. 

[PAPER RUSTLING AND SOFA NOISE] This is Nicole He, today is June 21 2024, I am here in [COMMUNITY NAME] for an interview with one of our community members. Before we begin, I'd like to get verbal consent for the form that we went over. Could you please say I consent to being interviewed and audio recorded for the study, 

To get started, can you tell me about how you came to live in this community? 

Alright, sounds good. Could you tell me a bit more about the [COMMUNITY NAME] community? How would you describe it to someone who doesn't live here? 

Yeah, definitely. How do you think this community has changed throughout your time living here?

Yeah, definitely. So what would you say are the strengths of this community and on the other end, what are some of the weaknesses? 

Yeah, that's definitely that's something that come up comes up a lot. So, um, what do you do for work? 

Alright, so how do you think that specific job and business, um, and those connections in this community influence your work?  

So how do you think your connections in this community influence your work? 

Yeah, so, um, being a business owner, like you've just mentioned, is that would you say, the connections and knowing people or how you got into this role, or how did you kind of decide to start this? 

Okay. So what does a typical workday look like for you? 

Yeah. So how long have you been working there? 

Okay, wow! So what does it mean to be in that business in this community? 

Yeah. So on the note of that kind of pride, d-would you say that's the aspect of your job that brings you the most joy or satisfaction? 

Yeah? And then other end, what are some of the biggest challenges you face at work? 

Yeah, definitely. So now let's talk more about your experiences as a resident of this community. For this first set of questions. I'll read a statement to you and I'd like you to indicate the extent of your agreement with each one. I'll have you answer on a scale of one to four where one is completely disagree, two is somewhat disagree, three is somewhat agree, and four is completely agree. If you'd like to comment on any of the statements, please feel free to, um, or you can just answer like one through four after I finish reading it. The first phrase is, I consider myself to be an American.  

Using the same scale how would you rate the following statement? I consider myself to be a Texan.  

Which of the following three statements do you agree with most strongly: One, I am an American first and Texas sec-Texan Second. Second, I am an a Texan first and American second or third, being Texan and American are equally important to me. 

All right. The next phrase is to be a true Texan you must know how to speak English. What would you rate this one using the same scale we started with? 

All right, how about to be a true Texan you must know how to speak Spanish. 

The next phrase is "In my community, you can do everything you want and get everything you need even when you don't speak English."  

Finally, in my community, life has been pretty stable over the last 40 years things haven't changed much.  

All right, now I'd like to hear from you about the community itself. What are some of the things that have changed in this community during the last few decades? 

Yeah, definitely. So speaking on that growth, would you say this is a good community to live in?  

All right. What was or is the best part about being a kid or a young person in this community? 

Yeah definitely. Hanging around with the neighbors.  

All right. Do you feel that the traditional way of life in this community is going away? 

Yeah, so what is your favorite sports team and how have they been doing lately? 

Yeah, hopefully. And did you have to do chores when you were younger?  

Which one was like the  

worst one? 

 And then what was one that you didn't mind so much? 

Yeah, so speaking on not liking chores, did you ever get caught pretending to do a chore but not really doing it? 

I mean, I've definitely been there before. [BOTH LAUGHING] Some people think that it's hard for boys and girls to be friends. What do you think? 

All right. And then did you ever tell a story about another person thinking the other person was not near you, but then turned around and saw that the person was standing right next to you? 

Could you tell me about that? What happened? 

Yeah, but we've definitely all been there before though. A lot of people think the 1990s as the golden decade of pop music, do you agree?  

Alright- The 80s? Alright, sounds good. So thank you so much for your answers. I really appreciate you taking the time to talk with me if you have time. I just have one last request for you before we conclude our interview, one of the overarching research questions through the Home to Texas program is about linguistic changes in Texas. As part of this project on linguistic researchers asking that interview participants read a brief passage which should only take a couple minutes. It's a short made up story about life in Texas that was created in the 1980s, and since then, linguistic researchers have recorded a few 100 Texans reading it. They use these recordings as samples of people's standard way of speaking as they try to track how speech in Texas varies and changes over time. Would you be willing to read a brief passage out loud?  

All right. Here's the passage [PAPER AND SHUFFLING NOISES]. 

Mhm! 

All right, thank you for contributing your voice to the collection, and thank you so much for taking the time to share your experiences with me. I really appreciate your time and generosity. If you don't have any other questions or comments. I'll go ahead and stop the recording now [CREAKING CHAIR NOISE]. 

Okay, this is Marissa Lance. Today is July 30th, and I'm here in [COMMUNITY NAME] for an interview with one of our community members. Before we begin, I'd like to get verbal consent for the form that we went over. Could you please say "I consent to being interviewed and audio recorded for the study?" 

Perfect. Okay. So just to get started, could you tell me a little bit about how you came to live in [COMMUNITY NAME]? 

Oh, no, it's fine.  

Yeah, it is redacted. So don't worry about it. 

All right, that's awesome. Um. How would you describe this community to someone who doesn't live here? 

All right. What would you say the strengths are in this community? 

Yeah. 

Yeah, that's great. Could you tell me about the weaknesses of this community? [PAUSE] If it has any...[LAUGHS] 

So you're extra aware of that [LAUGHS].

Right.

Right. Okay. Could you tell me about the roles and relationships you have in this community? I'm sure it's a lot.  

Mhm.

Mhm.

Oh, my goodness. 

Yeah.  

Awesome. Wow. Okay.  

So how long is it term? Or how many reelections- 

That's really exciting. Congratulations! 

Oh, wow.  

Right. 

Yeah, it's incredible. Um, so, I don't know if this applies, but what do you do, or what did you do for work,

Before school board or mom or anything like that.

Okay.

Mhm.

Right.

Mhm.

Yeah.

Gotcha. Okay. How do you think your connections in this community influence your work as a school board member specifically? 

Yeah.  

No, you're good. Yeah.

Mhm. 

Right.  

Right. 

Oh, wow.  

Yeah.

Right.

Right.  

That means a lot.  

Right, okay. That was a very, that was a very thoughtful answer. I really appreciate you sharing that. Okay, how, okay, already answered these...what would a typical workday look like for you? 

No typical? 

Yeah. 

[LAUGHS]

Yeah. So just really community engagement,  

Yeah, that's cool.

[LAUGHS]

Oh really, that's, wow. 

Wow.  

Yeah, yeah. That is exciting.  

Okay. What does it mean to be a school but school board member in this community? 

It's very large question. [LAUGH]

Mhm.

Yeah.  

Yes.

Right. Okay. What aspects of your job bring you the most joy or satisfaction? 

You're all good. 

It is.

It is, yeah.

It is.

[LAUGH]

Yeah. 

Yes. Yes. Okay. What are the biggest challenges that you face in your work? 

Okay.

Okay. 

Mhm.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Yeah. 

Yeah.  

That is- yeah. Wow. Okay. Now we're going to talk more about your experiences as a resident of this community. Um, or the first set of questions, I'm going to read a statement, and I'd like you to indicate the extent to which you agree with each one. I'll have you give your answer on a scale of one to four where one is completely disagree. Two is somewhat disagree. Three is somewhat agree, and four is completely agree.  

And then you can also comment on your answers as well. Okay, the first phrase is, I consider myself to be an American. Would you say that you- 

Okay. All right. Yes. 

Completely agree,

[LAUGHS] 10 out of 10. All right, using the same scale. How would you how would you rate the following statement? I consider myself to be a Texan. 

Gotcha. Which of the following three statements do you agree with most strongly? I am American first and Texas sec- Texan second, I am Texan first and American second, or being Texan and American are equally important to me.  

Gotcha. The next phrase is to be a true Texan, you must know how to speak English. What would you rate this one using the same scale we started with? 

It's to be a true Texan. You must know how to speak English. 

[LAUGHS]

Yeah.  

Right.  

Right.

Okay.

No, you're good.

Yes, yes, some of the questions are a little random. But how about to be a true Texan, you must know how to speak Spanish?

Okay. Disagree. All right. The next phrase is in my community, you can do everything you want and get everything you need, even if you don't speak English.  

Okay. In my community, life has been pretty stable over the last 40 years, things haven't changed much.  

Yeah. [LAUGHS] Okay. Now we're going to talk about the community itself. So what do you think are the main things that have changed in this community during the last few decades? 

Yes. 

Oh, wow.

I did not know that, wow.

Yes. Okay. What it what was or is the best part about being a young person in this community? 

Yeah. 

Right. Oh, my goodness. [LAUGHS] 

Really? When, when was that built actually?  

All right. Um, do you feel that the traditional way of life in this community is slowly going away? 

Right.  

Mhm.

Mhm.

Right.

Mhm.

Right, okay. I see what you're saying. 

Mhm. Okay.  

Right,

Right.

All right. Okay. Why do you think it's the case that- would you just chalk it up to demographics that are kind of creating this change? 

Yes. Okay.  

Gotcha. Okay. Now, okay. These are kind of just like, sillier, like light hearted questions.  

Yes. Perfect. 

Okay.

Mhm.

Okay. That's interesting.

Okay.  

Right.  

Mhm.

Yes, yes. Okay. I didn't know that, that's actually really interesting. 

Yeah.

Right.

Right. So how does that kind of trade like change your strategy? Or does it at all? 

[LAUGHS]

Mhm.

Right. 

Yeah.  

Yeah.

Mhm.

Right. 

Yes.  

Yeah, getting creative I bet. 

Oh, okay. That's interesting.  

Right.  

Okay, yeah, that's really cool. Okay. So again, these are just more like, questions, sillier questions that are going to study like linguistic samples and stuff. So um, what is your favorite sports team?

The Astros, okay, and how they've been doing lately?  

Yeah. We're spoiled.  

Yes, yes. All right. Did you have to do chores when you were younger? 

So you were the the dishwasher. [LAUGHS] 

Right, what was the worst chore? 

Really? Did you have a lot of animals or... 

Oh, okay.

Right.

What was a chore you didn't mind so much? 

Yeah. Yeah. Sometimes that's not even like a chore.  

Okay. So that's kind of like home economics? 

Oh, okay. So that's like the same? 

Yeah. 

Yes. Okay. I'm sure that helps you in your teaching career... 

Because that is like organized chaos there.  

Exactly.  

Wow. 

Mhm.

Did you ever get caught pretending do a chore but not really doing it? 

Doesn't everyone? 

Um, okay, have you ever told a story about another person, thinking they were not near you, but turned around and saw that a person was standing right next to you?  

 You can't think of a time? 

I mean, I've definitely been there.  

Yes, yes. Any specific instance or story?  

Yeah. That's what sticks with you. 

Okay. A lot of people- 

Right. Yes. Okay. A lot of people think the 1990s was the golden decade of pop music. Do you agree? 

Okay, so 70s was the best decade for you.  

 For music. 

Yeah. 

Maybe they would say 90s? 

Yes.

Yes. All right. [CHUCKLES] Okay. Thank you so much for your answers. I really appreciate your time. If you have a little time. I have one last request before we conclude. So one of the overarching research questions throughout the Home to Texas program is about linguistic changes. And as a part of this project, a linguistic researcher is asking that interview participants read a brief passage which should only take a couple minutes. It's a short, made up story about life in Texas that was created in the 1980s. And since then, linguistic researchers have recorded a few hundred Texans reading it and they use these recordings as samples of people's standard way of speaking as they try to track how speech changes over time. So would you be willing to we- read this brief passage? 

[LAUGHS]  

It mitigated it a little bit. [LAUGHS] 

That's okay. That's perfectly fine.

It is. It's really cool. 

Oh, no. 

No, no no no. It's mostly a linguistic uh, private investigate…

I- honestly, I'm kind of just like the middleman [CHUCKLES] getting the research but like, the professors that work on the stuff are really cool- they're very into their craft and

yeah, super educated. It is cool, yeah. Hey, you can contact them, it's on that form. But it's really interesting

[LAUGHS] 

All right, thank you so much.  

Yeah, I mean, sometimes the interviews are like 20 minutes. Sometimes they're like an hour. But I think you're- you're very concise in your answers. And that's the most important part. 

You would be surprised how long some people can talk.  

Yes. 

Oh, not at all.

No, no, no. 

Yes. Yeah.  

Yeah, it's really interesting, because I mean, the whole point of the program is that they want to keep young talent or like young kids not moving into Austin or Houston to work like they want to keep young-I'm not calling myself a young leader-but like, you know, educated young people in their hometowns and actually try to make a change. 

Yeah.  

Right.  

Yeah, I babysit for some people that are like, Yeah, we went to [COMMUNITY NAME] high. And now our kids, you know, are gonna go there. It's like, it's cool. Because it's so close to [NEARBY UPPER GULF COAST CITY]. I mean, if you want to work in big tech or anything, you can totally live here and do that. 

Yeah. 

It's really cool. Okay. Well, thank you for contributing your voice to the collection. And I really appreciate your time and generosity. If you don't have any other questions or comments. I'll go ahead and stop the recording. 

Of course!

All right. 

There we go. Let's get started. This is [INTERVIEWER NAME]. Today is June 19

June 19 2024, and I am here in Lufkin, Texas, for an interview with one of our community members. Before we begin, I'd like to get verbal consent for the form that we went over. Could you please say- [NOTIFICATION] I consent to being interviewed and audio recorded for the study?

To get started, can you tell me about how you came to live in this community?

And could you tell me a bit more about this community? How would you describe it to someone who doesn't live here?

And how do you think this community has changed throughout your time living here?

throughout your time living here?

And what would you say are the strengths of this community?

And on the other hand, what would you say are some of the weaknesses?

If you could put it on silent for a minute, sorry.

Could you tell me about the roles and relationships you have in this community.

The roles and relationships you have in this community.

Mhm.

Mhm

And I know you've already mentioned a few times. But if you want to elaborate or skip this question, what do you do for work?

And how do you think your connections in this community influenced your work as a banker?

How do you think your connections in this community influenced your work as a banker?

Now I'd like to talk more about your work as a banker. Could you tell me about how you got into that role?

And how long did you work? Or how long were you working?

And what did a typical workday look like for you?

what does it mean to be a banker in this community?

What aspects of your job bring you the most joy or satisfaction?

and what are the biggest challenges you faced in your work?

Alright, so now, I want to talk to you more about your experience as a resident in this community. For this first set of questions, I'll read a statment to you. And I'd like you to indicate the extent of your agreement with each one. If you give your answer on a scale of one to four where one is completely disagree, two is somewhat disagree. Three is somewhat agree. Four is completely agree. If you'd like to comment on any statement, please feel free to.

Alright. The first phrase is I consider myself to be an American.

so a 4?

using the same scale, how would you rate the following statement? I consider myself to be a Texan.

Which of the following three statements do you agree with most strongly? I have American first and Texan. Second. I am Texan first and American second. Or being Texan and American are equally important to me.

The next phrase is to be a true Texan. You must know how to speak English. What would you rate this one using the same scale we started with?

To be a true Texan. You must know how to speak English. What would you rate this one using the same scale that we started with?

Alright. How about to be a true Texan? You must know how to speak Spanish?

So a one with that one?

Alright, the next phrase is in my community you can do everything you want and get everything you need even when you don't speak english

4? Alright. Finally, in my community life has been pretty stable over the last 40 years things haven't changed much.

Now, I'd like to hear from you about the community itself. What are some of the things that you- what are some of the things that have changed in this community during the last few decades?

And overall, is this a good community to live in?

This one, I think you could comment on all of these. Uh- What was or is the best part about being a kid or young person in this community?

Do you feel the traditional way of life in this community is going away? If yes, why do you think that's the case? If no, what do you think keeps things the same?

Um- I guess whatever you see, is the traditional way of life or has been the traditional way of life here. This community.

And why do you think that's the case?

And what is your favorite sports team?

Well, I guess since you gave such a general answer. How would you say Texas as a whole has been doing lately in sports?

Did you have chores to do when you were younger?

Did you have chores to do when you were younger?

out of these chores, what would you say is the worst chore? Or what's the worst chore?

mhm.

What was a chore you didn't mind so much?

Did you ever get caught pretending to do a chore but not really doing it?

some people think that it's hard for boys and girls to be friends. What do you think?

Some people think that it's hard for boys and girls to be friends. What do you think?

Did you ever tell a story about another person thinking the other person was not near you, but then turned around and saw that person was standing right next to you?

A lot of people think the 1990s as the golden decade of pop music. Do you agree?

All right. Well, thank you so much for your answers. I really, really appreciate you taking the time to talk with me. If you have the time. I just have one last request for you. Before we conclude the interview. One of the overarching research questions to the home to Texas program is about linguistic changes in Texas. As a part of this project, a linguistic researcher is asking that interview participants read a brief passage, which should only take a couple of minutes. It's a short made up story about life in Texas that was created in the 1980s and since then, linguistic researchers have recorded a few 100 Texans reading it they use these recordings as samples of people's standard way of speaking as they try to track how speech in Texas varies and changes over time. Would you be willing to read this passage out loud?

Alright. Here's the passage.

read it out loud.

Mhm.

Thank you for contributing your voice to the collection. And thank you so much for taking time to share your experience with me. I really appreciate your time and generosity. If you don't have any other questions or comments. I'll go ahead and stop the recording now.

No.

Well yeah. Thank you. You gave me some really good-

If you don't mind. I'm gonna stop recording.

Hi, this is Chloe Pineda. Today's date is July 4 2024, and I'm here in the city of [COMMUNITY NAME] for an interview with one of our community members. Before we begin, I would like to get a verbal consent for the form that we went over. Could you please say I consent to being interviewed and audio recorded for this study? 

Thank you. So now to get started, could you tell me about how you came to live in this community?

Mhm.

[GIGGLES] 

Okay. 

[GIGGLES] 

Yeah. Thank you so much for sharing. Um, now, could you tell me a bit more about this community? Like how would you describe it to someone who doesn't live here? 

Mhm. 

[GIGGLES] 

Mhm. 

I completely agree, yeah. 

Mhm. Thank you. I didn't know all about that. Because I know I just moved here when I was in 4th grade, but I wasn't like aware of all of that history. So thank you for sharing. 

Now, could you- um, how would you describe this community about or no- how do you think this community has changed throughout your time living here? 

Yeah. Mhm. 

Mhm. 

Mhm. 

Yeah. 

Mhm. 

Yeah. 

Yes. 

Mhm. 

Mhm. 

Mhm. 

Mhm. 

[CHUCKLES] 

Mhm. That's really nice. Thank you. And now the next question was asking what are the strengths, which I know like you've already discussed? So, 

Could you tell me on the flip side, what are the weaknesses of living this community? 

Yeah. Mhm. 

Yeah. 

Yes.  

Mhm. 

Yeah. 

Mhm. 

Yeah. 

Yes. 

Mhm. 

Yeah. 

Mhm. 

Yeah! Thank you for sharing. I completely agree with all of that. And I do like, I would say the strengths do outweigh the weaknesses. Yeah. [CHUCKLES] I know a little bit biased, but yeah. Um, now could you tell me about the roles and relationships you have in this community? 

Mhm. Mhm. 

[GIGGLES] 

Yes. 

Yeah. 

[GIGGLES] 

Yeah. [CHUCKLES] 

Okay. 

Wow! Okay.